[Vwdiesel] 04 VW Jetta Diesel flywheel defect

[pmdolan at sasktel.net]

Doyt:

There is no question that TDI ownership can be a lot more money than 
IDI days, but if you go in with your eyes wide open, the tradeoff seems 
to be worth it.  My wife drives an 03 wagon we bought new, and has 
over 260,000 kms on the original DMF with maybe 130HP going through it, 
and no signs of deterioration at all.  I actually bought a G60 upgrade 
(wasnt too much money) expecting to need it, but it is still sitting in 
its box SOMEWHERE in the shop.  The big variable is if you do your own 
work and are willing to learn the new and different world.  Belt 
changes every 100,000 miles at the hands of a dealer would be well over 
$1k, and nearly that at a good independant, but only a few hundred 
bucks if you DIY (plus the opportunity to do some looking around). 
 You MUST be able to prevent or correct carbon accumulation in the 
inlet manifold (EGR delete to fix), and so it goes. 

The upside is that performance, emissions and SAFETY are in a 
completely different league. 

Pat

On Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:31:19 -0400, "Doyt W. Echelberger"  wrote:
I have an 89 Jetta na diesel and had it in the shop for some winter
> maintenance, and as I sat in the waiting room I had a chance to chat 
> with the Service Director. I mentioned that I was happy with my 
> ancient vintage oil burner, but was interested in the TDI's. 
>
> He said that maybe I was lucky not to have one. He described an 
> exasperating experience the company had recently with the correction 
> of a "shuddering clutch" in a customer's 04 Jetta TDI. 
>
> The customer complained that shifting gears was accompanied by a 
> serious shudder or vibration that was alarming and unpleasant, and he 
> asked that the shop replace the clutch. 
>
> The mechanic discovered that the dual-mass flywheel was mounted in 
> rubber to reduce vibration, and the rubber was deteriorating and 
> failing, allowing the flywheel to move around.  This was putting 
> extra stress on the transmission, and was in general a very weak and 
> problem-prone system. 
>
> It was also a very costly repair. The flywheel replacement was $835 
> just for the part. 
>
> I am posting this because it changed my enthusiasm for owning a used 
> TDI. I also Googled "shuddering clutch" associated with TDI, and got 
> hundreds of hits describing similar nightmares. 
>
> So, I'm even happier than I expected to be with my simple old vintage 
> VW diesel.  Ohio had a record breaking amount of rainfall this year, 
> and that may translate into vastly increased amounts of snow and ice 
> this winter. It is probably time to put on 4 new winter ice tires, in 
> addition to a freeze-plug electric block heater. 
>
> Doyt Echelberger
>
>
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